Doorknob fastener



Jan. 15, 1935. F. MARTINEK DOORKNOB FASTBNER Filed DeC. 14. 1933lNvENToR FR EDERlcK MARTmEK ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 15, 1935 umn-:DiSTATES PATENT OFFICE' 1,988,130 nooRKNoB FASTENER Frederick `Martinek,New York, N. Application Dec'ei-nber 14, 1933, Serial Na 702,270 2clams.l (oi. 292-353) invention relates to new and useful irnprovementsina door knob fastener.

The invention has for an object the construction of a fastener of softmaterial having a body portion for engaging in a receiving opening intheknobjof a door and also having bendable prongs projecting from saidbody portions for engaging into inclined openings formed in the spindlewhich is associated with the knob so that the knob is firmly held on thespindle.

Still further the invention proposes an arrangement whereby the fastenermay be forced from its; position forthe purpose of disconnecting theknobfrom the spindle when desired.

S til l further the invention proposes thearrangement of an openingextended in acer-tain fashionso that an implement may be engagedytheretlirough and driven to cause the fastener to disengagevr from itsposition.

.As another object of this invention it is proposed to arrange thefastener with a projecting `stud extending into a position from which itmay be readily driven for the purpose of disconnecting theffastener fromits holding position of the door knob the spindle.

Stillfurtherf the invention also proposes arranging openings in the`spindle in a manner so thatv the fastener maybe selectively engagedtherein to hold the door knob at various positions. Still further it isparticularly proposed to arrang'ethe openings in the spindle in certainrelations vso that the fastener may be engaged from one side or from thediametrically opposite side and utilize certain openings in `3`5 eitherposition so as to add to the possible number of positions in which thedoor knob may be secured.

Furthermore as another object of this invention an arrangement is alsoproposed whereby an implement may be engaged underneath the bottomportion of the fastener when holding the door knob in place for thepurpose of dislodging the fastener to allow the removal of the door knobfrom the spindle.

Furthermore as another object of this invention it is proposed toconstruct a device as mentioned which is simple and durable and whichmay be manufactured and sold at a reasonable cost.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects andadvantages thereof, reference will be had to the following descriptionand accompanying drawing, and to the appended claims in which thevarious novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

ycording to this invention applied thereon.

In the accompanying drawing forming a material part of this disclosurez-Fig. 1 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional viewof a door knob upon aspindle and provided with a fastener according to this invention. 5

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the fastener per se.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the knob and spindle illustrated in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a sectional View similar to Fig. 1 but 10 illustrating anothermodification of the invention.

Fig. 5 is another view similar to Fig. 1 vbut illustrating a stillfurther modined form.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the fastener shown in Fig. 5. 15 Fig. '7is an elevational view of a spindle constructed with openings accordingto this invention.

, Fig. 8 is an elevational view of a portion of the spindle illustratedin Fig. 7 with a fastener ac- Fig. 9 is an elevational View of a doorknob and spindle with a fastener according to another modified form ofthis invention. l

Fig. 10 is 'a sectional view taken on the line 10-10 Of Fig. 9. 25

The door vknob fastener according to this invention is used incombination with a door knob 10 slidable upon a spindlell. The fasteneris o-f soft metal andhas a body portion 12 for engaging into an opening13 in the hub portion of the knob 10, and also has bendable prongs 14projecting from said body portion 12 and engaging into inclined openings15 formed in said spindle 11. The bodyportion 12 is shown of rectangularshape in plan view, see Fig. 3 and the opening 13 is f correspondinglyshaped and of the same size so that the opening is completely closed bythe fastener.

In Fig. 2 the fastener is illustrated before it is driven into positionshown in Fig. 1. It should be noticed that the prongs 14 are normallystraight and parallel to each other. It is proposed that the fastener beof soft material so that it may readily be driven into position andduring such driving action cause the prongs to follow the inclinedopenings 15 and so firmly and permanently hold the fastener in itsposition. The fastener as illustrated'on the 4drawing is shown with twoprongs though any other arrangement of prongs may be used and still em-50 body the principles of this invention. The spindle l1 is shown withother openings 15 which may be used for holding the door knob at adifferent position upon the spindle.

In Fig. 4 a modified form of the invention has 55 been disclosed whichis very similar to the form previously described, similar parts beingrecognizable by the same reference numerals, distinguished merely by thefact that the door knob 10 and the spindle 11 are formed with aligned`openings 16 extending to the under side of the body 12 of the fastenerfor the purpose of permitting the insertion of an implement by which thefastener may be forced from its engaging position. More particularly forexample, a nail or other implement may be engaged through the opening 16and then hammered to cause the fastener 12 to come out from its holdingposition.

In Figs. 5 and 6 another embodiment of the invention has been disclosedin which another provision is made for the removal of the fastener fromits holding position. More particularly the provision comprises a stud17 integral with the fastener, on the bottom side of the body thereofand extending through the opening 16. In other respects the fastener,knob and spindle constructions are identical to the previous form andsimilar parts may be recognized by the same reference numerals.According to this form some implement may be forced against the studportion 17 for the purpose of forcing the fastener from position.

In Figs. 7 and 8 a detail has been shown of the spindle 11 whichdistinguishes from the previous spindle merely in the arrangement of theopenings for receiving the prongs of the fastener. More particularlyeach end of the spindle 11' is provided with pairs of inclined openings14. The openings of each pair diverge from one side of the spindle tothe other. The adjacent openings 14 of adjacent pairs are spaced thesame distance from each other as the distance between the rear ends ofeach pair of openings. The arrangement is such that a fastening element,see Fig. 8, such as the fastening element 12 may be engaged from oneside or from the other side at various positions to hold the knob uponthe spindle at various positions.

More particularly, the prongs from the fastener 12 may be engaged in acommon opening of one of the pairs of openings from one side or theother side. It will readily be understood that with this arrangement thepossible number of adjustments is much greater than that of thearrangement illustrated in Fig. 1 where each pair of openings l5 aredistinct from `each other. The spindle 11 is also formed with otherpairs of openings 141 extended at right angles from the first mentionedopenings 14 and straddling these openings. This arrangement provides fora still further number of adjustments.

In Figs. 9 and 10 another modification of the invention has beendisclosed in which provision is made for the removal of the fastenerwhen desired. More particularly the hub portion of the knob 10 is formedwith an arcuate recess 20 arranged at right angles to the body portion12 of the fastener and at the center thereof. The prongs 14 of thefastener are of such length that the body portion of the fastener isslightly spaced, the space 21, from the base of the recess 20. With thisarrangement it is possible that some implement may be inserted into therecess 20, into the space 21 beneath the body of the fastener for thepurpose of forcing the fastener from its holding position. In otherrespects this form of the invention is similar to certain of theprevious forms and corresponding parts may be recognized by theidentical reference numerals.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of myinvention it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to theprecise construction herein disclosed and the right is reserved to allchanges and modifications coming within the scope of the invention asdefined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by United States Letters Patent is:-

1. In combination, a door knob slidable on a spindle, a fastener of softmetal having a body portion engaging in a receiving opening in said knoband bendable prongs projecting from said body portion engaging intoinclined openings in said spindle, said knob and spindle having alignedopenings extending to the under side of Said body portion for animplement to force said fastener from its position, said prongs beingpresent in the numerical quantity two, and said aligned openingextending between said prongs.

2. In combination, a door knob slidable on a spindle, a fastener of softmetal having a body portion engaging in a receiving opening in said knoband bendable prongs, projecting from said vbody portion engaging intoinclined openingsl in said spindle, said knob and spindle having alignedopenings extending to the under side of said body portion for animplement to force said fastener from its position, said prongs beingpresent in the numerical quantity two, and said aligned openingextending between said prongs, and said fastener -being provided with astud portion on the bottom side of the body portion and engaging throughsaid aligned openings.

FREDERICK MARTINEK.

